Skills and confidence gain employment

Street Elite, a scheme run by charity The Change Foundation and funded by the Berkeley Foundation, targets unemployed young women in the borough, giving them 12 weeks of personal training and mentoring, followed by group activities designed to build confidence and prepare them for the world of work.

Research by the Trust suggests that young mothers want to get into work but often find it difficult because they care for a child or family member. Sixty one per cent of the mothers reported that they only just manage financially and nearly half that they regularly missed meals to provide for their children.

Singer-songwriter and presenter Jamelia has now congratulated 12 of the latest graduates from the project, and 400 unemployed young Londoners have already completed a Street Elite course, with 84 per cent of those who complete the programme successfully moving into education or employment.

Rob Perrins, chief executive of the Berkeley Group and chair of trustees for the Berkley Foundation, said: “This programme is all about helping young people overcome barriers to work and giving them the confidence they need to achieve their true potential. The talented Street Elite graduates we’ve welcomed into Berkeley have become great assets for our business and fantastic role models in their communities.”

15 Street Elite graduates have been employed directly by Berkeley Group.

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